I received a call over the holiday break from a freelancer asking whether UALR offers classes in a particular field. He wanted to expand his employment options.

A report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and Workforce predicts a 3 million worker shortfall by 2018. These jobs will require an associate’s degree or more. Those without a degree could have a difficult time.

*Figure 1.1 in “Education Pays 2010.” Click to view larger.

Some facts to consider:

• The U.S. Census Bureau reported in February that over an average adult’s working life, high school graduates can expect to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor’s degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master’s degree, $2.5 million.
• A March BusinessWeek article reported the unemployment rate in February among those with at least a bachelor’s degree was 5%, compared to the 15.6% unemployment rate among those with only a high school diploma.
• The College Board’s Education Pays 2010: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society reports that college graduates are more likely to have health and retirement benefits, and that the unemployment rate for college graduates was less than half the rate of high school graduates in 2009.

Dollars aside, the bigger benefit I got from a college degree was the chance to explore outside Muskogee, Okla., to question what I thought, and to learn more about what I wanted to know and about what I didn’t know I should know.

All of these thoughts certainly justify pursuing an advanced degree, but sometimes it’s easier to relate to a real life person who has done it. Meet Wade Mobbs. Wade just completed his degree in systems engineering and crossed the stage during the commencement ceremony in December. We talked to him almost two years ago, and he told us why he made the decision to go back to school:

If you don’t have a college degree, 2011 is a good year to put higher education at the top of your resolutions list. It’s not too late to enroll for spring.

*Figure 1.1 in “Education Pays 2010”